Bobthedog Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 I am 8 months new to bass and so still learning and have the following question: I have a 2013 Fender American Jazz Deluxe which works well for me in fit and neck dimensions etc, however, I cannot get any volume out of it relative to my Fender P bass or G&L M2000. It has been tested by the shop and a local luthier (who also checked the set up) and my "weak" hand technique would seem to be the problem, but only for the Jazz. Would changing the pre amp (for example to a John East J Retro Delux) and/or the pickups (Seymour Duncan QPs for Jazz?) improve the volume? Any other ideas, other than man up on the fingers or increase the amp volume! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 How far down have you got the Jazz pickups set? Raising the pickups will increase the volume and as a guide you should fret the string at the end of the neck and the gap between the bottom of the string to the top of each pickup ought to be about 1/8" for the E string (slightly smaller gap for the G string). If you've got a 'weak hand' then I'd expect this to affect your playing style no matter what bass you're using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobthedog Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 The bass is set up fine and I am happy with the volume / sound I get from my P Bass and G&L. Good thoughts, thank you but sadly not the issue in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoham Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 A typical P will be louder than a typical J. The P pickups are wired in series, making it louder. Also, don't confuse loudness for a good tone. My stock Mexican P pickups were loud, but sounded harsh. The P was the loudest of my 4 basses by a long way. My CS 60's J pickups (same as used in American Standard) are considerably quieter, but sound awesome. I replaced the P pickup, and the result is a quieter, but far nicer souning bass. My advice - if you like the tone, keep the pickups and turn up the volume on your amp. A clean-boost pedal will help you get an even level between basses, and a pre-amp will do the same, but will probably colour your tone somewhat - not necessarily a bad thing! Hope this helps, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobthedog Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 [quote name='geoham' timestamp='1412460479' post='2569148'] A typical P will be louder than a typical J. The P pickups are wired in series, making it louder. Also, don't confuse loudness for a good tone. My stock Mexican P pickups were loud, but sounded harsh. The P was the loudest of my 4 basses by a long way. My CS 60's J pickups (same as used in American Standard) are considerably quieter, but sound awesome. I replaced the P pickup, and the result is a quieter, but far nicer souning bass. My advice - if you like the tone, keep the pickups and turn up the volume on your amp. A clean-boost pedal will help you get an even level between basses, and a pre-amp will do the same, but will probably colour your tone somewhat - not necessarily a bad thing! Hope this helps, [/quote] Thanks for this. I am happy with the tone, just not the volume. I guess i will just push the volume up on the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobthedog Posted October 5, 2014 Author Share Posted October 5, 2014 Well I took the plunge and have ordered an MXR Micro Amp pedal. It seems a cheapish way of getting more noise. Thank you for the replies to my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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